Nassau
Nassau was the largest port on New Providence Island, and one of the largest commercial centres in the entire Bahamas. From 1706 it was a haven for pirates who governed it as the Republic of Pirates. The activities of the pirates caused havoc with trade and shipping throughout the West Indies. Layout The Harbor The harbor is relatively shallow, only small boats and two masted vessels can dock on the beach. Larger, three masted vessels have to anchor farther out. The western end of the harbor is guarded by Fort Nassau, an imposing four pointed star fort build out of stone, manned by the crew of Captain Benjamin Hornigold. On the eastern end, a tall wooden lookout station stands. It is equipped with a bell to alarm the town in case of attack. The Beach On Nassau’s beach is a tent city where the majority of the pirates live. Their ramshackle dwellings are made of wood, sailcloth and other scavenged materials. The closest thing to organization the shanties come to is by crew. Pirate crews tend to live in their own blocks of tents. Charles Vane and the crew of the Ranger ''have their own section of tents, as does the crew of the ''Walrus. '' Nassau Town The town proper is uphill of the beach. The town is a mildly chaotic mixture of merchants selling their wares, pirates and townspeople. Closest to the beach on the main street are the tavern and the inn, the two places in town where the pirates spend mos t of their time. Further up the street is the town square and the Governor's Mansion. The Guthrie Warehouse The warehouse is where pirates bring their goods for consignment. The Guthries pay in coin, trade or credit before packaging them into containers bearing the Guthrie logo and loading them onto their cargo ships. The Tavern Further up the hill, past the various residences and shops is the tavern and the inn. The tavern is the headquarters of Eleanor Guthrie, the chief fence of Nassau. She effectively rules the town from her office inside, providing leads on prizes to the captains who please her and shunning those who do not. The Inn Across the street is the inn, which is in truth a brothel. The two buildings are connected by a bridge that goes over the street. At the inn, multiple prostitutes offer their services, skillfully extracting both gold and secrets from their patrons. The Governor's Mansion Formerly the residence of a long line of colonial governors, it has fallen into disuse, and is largely used by opium traders and addicts. The Church Nassau is home to a large church whose steeple rises high above most buildings in the town. The church is built of stone, with the steeple being pink in color. However, the church seems to be heavily damaged by fire, as only the skeleton of the steeple's roof remains, and parts of it have crumbled away. All the windows are closed or there is empty space where they used to be. It's possible this was a result of the Rosario Raid. History Background Nassau was formerly known as Charles Town (not to be confused with Charles Town, Carolina Colony); it was burned to the ground by the Spanish in 1684. Rebuilt, it was renamed Nassau in 1695 under Governor Nicholas Trott in honour of the Dutch Stadtholder (''stadhouder in Dutch) and later also King of England, Scotland and Ireland, William III from the Dutch-German House of Orange-Nassau. The name Nassau derives from the House of Nassau and ultimately from the town of Nassau, Rhineland-Palatinate in Germany. Due to a lack of effective Governors (after Trott), Nassau fell on hard times. Henry Avery was considered the founding father of the pirate nation, who harboured his ship there in 1696. For many years, pirate captains made port in Nassau, and would bribe the Royal Governors for favors and to ignore their crimes. In 1705, Governor Robert Thompson has a a dispute with a pirate captain, Edward Teach over a bribe, for Thompson felt that he was owed money by the captain. This captain recruited others who demanded that Thompson leave New Providence Island at once. Thompson refused, after which a dozen armed men broke into the Governor’s Mansion, dragged out his wife and nine-year-old son onto the street, where Israel Hands slit their throats. They let Thompson live to tell the tale and to ascertain that there is no misunderstanding over who rules Nassau. At some point, Richard Guthrie began selling the pirates' stolen goods, masquerading them as legitimate goods to be sold in civilized ports by the Guthrie Trading Company. Pirates raided ships indiscriminately, drawing the ire of Spain. Spain sent an invasion force in what would become known as the Rosario Raid. The garrison of the fort had allowed it to fall into disrepair, allowing the Spanish easy access into Nassau. After burning Nassau, they turned their eye inland, raping and murdering as they pleased. Hundreds of people, including slaves, were killed. Notably, Richard's wife and Eleanor's mother was killed in the raid. This led to an unspoken rule among the pirates of Nassau: Spanish ships were off limits out of fear of further reprisals. By 1713, the Governor of Bermuda stated that there were over 1,000 pirates in Nassau and that they outnumbered the mere hundred inhabitants of the town. They proclaimed Nassau a Pirate Republic, establishing themselves as "governors." Examples of pirates that used Nassau as their base are Charles Vane, Benjamin Hornigold, Jack Rackham, Anne Bonny, Edward Teach, and James Flint. Gallery Nassau's harbor.jpeg High view of Nassau.jpeg Nassau post hurricane.jpeg Nassau shack.jpeg High view of Nassau.jpeg Nassau at night.jpeg External Links * Category:Locations Category:British Empire